Photocatalyst functional film and method for producing the same

ABSTRACT

A photocatalytic functional film has a structure of a substrate, a barrier layer and a photocatalytic layer stacked one on another. The barrier layer is an amorphous TiO 2  film, the photocatalyst layer comprises an amorphous TiO 2  film, and particles of visible light responsive photocatalytic material formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO 2  film. A method for producing a photocatalytic functional film includes: adding an alcohol solvent and an acid to a titanium precursor to obtain a TiO 2  amorphous sol by dehydration and de-alcoholization reaction; applying and drying the TiO 2  amorphous sol on a substrate to form a barrier layer; and applying and drying a composition formed by mixing particles of visible light responsive photocatalyst material with the TiO 2  amorphous sol on the barrier layer, to form a photocatalyst layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0101037 filed on Aug. 6, 2014, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a photocatalyst functional film and a method for producing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

A photocatalyst may be coated on the surface of an indoor interior material to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). To coat such photocatalyst, it is essential to use a binder to attach the photocatalyst to a substrate. However, the binder covers the surface of the photocatalyst in the process of coupling with the photocatalyst, thereby reducing the exposed area of the surface of the photocatalyst. As a result, there is a problem in that the binder lowers the performance of the photocatalyst which is in proportion to the surface reaction.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a photocatalytic functional film that uses a binder which does not lowering the efficiency of a photocatalyst and comprises a barrier layer.

It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide a method for producing the photocatalytic functional film.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a photocatalytic functional film has a structure of a substrate, a barrier layer and a photocatalytic layer stacked one on another. The barrier layer is an amorphous TiO₂ film, the photocatalyst layer comprises an amorphous TiO₂ film, and particles of visible light responsive photocatalytic material formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO₂ film.

The porosity of the amorphous TiO₂ film may range from approximately 5% to 50%.

The specific surface area of the amorphous TiO₂ film may range from approximately 5 m²/g to 500 m²/g.

The amorphous TiO₂ film may be formed by a TiO₂ amorphous sol.

The particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material may be porous metal oxide particles carrying a visible light activating metal containing pores.

The porous metal oxide particles may include at least one selected from a group consisting of titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc oxide, niobium oxide, and a combination thereof.

The porous metal oxide particles may carry the visible light activating metal as a visible light-activating metal or an oxide thereof, and the visible light activating metal may include at least one of tungsten, chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, copper, iron, cobalt, manganese, nickel, platinum, gold, cerium, cadmium, zinc, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, or a combination thereof

The weight ratio of the porous metal oxide and a sum of the visible light activating metal and the visible light activating metal oxide in the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material may range from 99.9:0.1 to 99:1.

The thickness of the barrier layer may range from approximately 20 nm to 500 nm.

The thickness of the photocatalytic layer may range from approximately 50 nm to 500 nm.

The substrate may be an indoor interior material.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for producing a photocatalytic functional film includes: adding an alcohol solvent and an acid to a titanium precursor to obtain a TiO₂ amorphous sol by dehydration and de-alcoholization reaction; applying and drying the TiO₂ amorphous sol on a substrate to form a barrier layer; and applying and drying a composition formed by mixing particles of visible light responsive photocatalyst material with the TiO₂ amorphous sol on the barrier layer, to form a photocatalyst layer.

The alcohol solvent may be at least one selected from the group consisting of isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, methanol, butanol, and combinations thereof.

The composition may contain approximately 20 parts by weight of the TiO₂ amorphous sol relative to 100 parts by weight of the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material.

The photocatalytic functional film can achieve indoor air purification, deodorization, antibacterial effect in response to visible light.

By using the above-described method for producing a photocatalytic functional film, the photocatalytic functional film capable of maintaining a high-efficiency photocatalytic performance and solving the problem of decomposition of the substrate can be produced

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a photocatalytic functional film according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative but not limiting. It is to be noted that the scope of the present disclosure is defined only by the claims.

Photocatalytic Functional Film

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a photocatalytic functional film has a structure of a substrate, a barrier layer and a photocatalytic layer stacked one on another. The barrier layer is an amorphous TiO₂ film, the photocatalyst layer comprises an amorphous TiO₂ film, and particles of visible light responsive photocatalytic material formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO₂ film.

Typically, in order to coat a visible light responsive photocatalyst material on the surface of an indoor interior material, a binder material for attaching the visible light responsive photocatalyst material, such as silica sol, is required.

However, in the process of coupling the binder material with the visible light responsive photocatalyst material, the binder material covers the surface of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material, such that the exposed area of the surface of the photocatalyst material is reduced. When this happens, there is a problem that the photocatalytic performance of the photocatalyst material is lowered, which realizes the surface reaction in the binder material.

In addition, if the photocatalyst material is directly coated on a substrate made of an organic material, the substrate may be decomposed by an organic material decomposition reaction of the photocatalyst material. When this happens, the stability of the substrate is lowered, and harmful substances may be generated due to decomposition of the substrate.

In view of the above, a TiO₂ amorphous sol has been developed as a binder material that can provide adhesive force without lowering the efficiency of the photocatalyst material.

The TiO₂ amorphous sol is a binder material which can prevent deterioration of the photoactivating ability of particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material during the process of forming a photocatalyst layer, thereby maintaining the photocatalytic performance obtained in the particle state as much as possible.

Further, in order to suppress decomposition of the substrate by the photocatalyst material, a barrier layer was provided between the substrate and the photocatalyst layer to prevent contact between the photocatalyst and the substrate.

The barrier layer is an amorphous TiO₂ film and may be formed by the TiO₂ amorphous sol.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a photocatalytic functional film according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, the photocatalytic functional film 100 may include a structure of a substrate 10, a barrier layer 20, and a photocatalyst layer 30 stacked one on another.

The substrate 10 may be an indoor interior material. The interior material may include glass, wallpaper, tile film and the like. The photocatalyst layer 30 may be optically activated by the light introduced into a room to decompose the organic material, thereby achieving air purification, deodorization, antibacterial effect.

The barrier layer 20 may be an amorphous TiO₂ film. The barrier layer 20, which is the amorphous TiO₂ film, is provided between the substrate 10 and the photocatalyst layer 30. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent contact between the substrate and the photocatalyst layer, such that corrosion of the substrate caused by the photocatalyst of the photocatalyst layer can be prevented. In addition, the generation of harmful substances caused by the corrosion of the substrate can be suppressed, such that the stability of the substrate can be maintained over time

The photocatalyst layer 30 may include an amorphous TiO₂ film; and particles of a visible light responsive photocatalytic material formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO₂ film. Since a binder material is necessary for attaching the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material to the barrier layer 20, the TiO₂ film is formed by using the TiO₂ amorphous sol as the binder material. By doing so, the barrier layer and the photocatalyst layer are made of the same material, such that the adhesion force can be enhanced without lowering the luminous efficiency of the particles of the photocatalytic material.

The porosity of the amorphous TiO₂ film may range from approximately 5% to 50%. When the amorphous TiO₂ film has a porosity within the above range as a porous film, the catalytic activity efficiency of the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst with respect to visible light can be further improved.

On the other hand, if the amorphous TiO₂ film is densely formed with no porosity by a sputtering method or the like, adsorption of reactants such as formaldehyde is not efficiently carried out and thus photocatalytic activity may not be good.

The specific surface area of the amorphous TiO₂ film may range from approximately 5 m²/g to 500 m²/g. When the amorphous TiO₂ film has a specific surface area within the above range, the catalytic activity efficiency of the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material with respect to visible light may be better.

The amorphous TiO₂ film may be formed by a TiO₂ amorphous sol. The TiO₂ amorphous sol has good adhesion force and is advantageous to ensure transparency of the photocatalyst layer 30 formed by using the TiO₂ amorphous sol as a binder.

The TiO₂ amorphous sol is used in an amorphous state, as will be described below in the production method. Since the TiO₂ amorphous sol is used without crystallizing it, the TiO₂ particle size is smaller than that of crystallized one and thus it is possible to achieve transparency. The crystallized TiO₂ sol are already in a bonded state and thus has a small surface area and a low functional group content. On the other hand, the TiO₂ amorphous sol has a larger surface area and a higher functional group content, and thus has a good adhesion.

In addition, the TiO₂ amorphous sol may be prepared by using a sol-gel method in which dehydration and de-alcoholization are performed using an alcohol-based solvent, instead of water. A detailed description on a producing method will be given later.

Since the photocatalyst layer 30 includes particles of the visible light responsive photocatalytic material formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO₂ film, the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalytic material may be porous metal oxide particles carrying a visible light activating metal with porosity.

The porous metal oxide particles may include at least one selected from titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc oxide, niobium oxide, and combinations thereof, and any material known as metal oxides may be used as long as it can be used as photocatalyst. The porous metal oxide particles have photoactivity mainly with respect to ultraviolet ray.

Any metal may be used as the visible light activating metal as long as it can give photoactivity with respect to visible light to the metal oxide. Specifically, the visible light activating metal may be, for example, a transition metal or a noble metal.

For example, the visible light activating metal may include at least one metal selected from the group consisting of tungsten, chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, copper, iron, cobalt, manganese, nickel, platinum, gold, cerium, cadmium, zinc, magnesium, calcium, strontium, and combinations thereof.

In addition, the visible light activating metal may be carried in the porous metal oxide particles in the form of an oxide of the above-described metals.

The particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material may be formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO₂ film by doping the visible light activating metal particles into pores in the porous metal oxide particles. The photocatalyst layer 30 thus formed may have optical activity with respect to visible light.

Since the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst include visible light activating metal particles having photoactivity with respect to visible light, they can have activity with respect to visible light as well as ultraviolet light and can absorb light over the entire visible light region. For example, the particles may have photoactivity with respect to visible light within the wavelength range of 380 nm to 780 nm.

The particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst may achieve air purification, deodorization, antibacterial effect as electrons and holes generated from energy obtained by absorbing light generate superoxide anions or hydroxy radicals. For example, the superoxide anions or hydroxy radicals generated from the particles may decompose materials hazardous to the environment such as formaldehyde. Since the particles have a high absorption rate with respect to visible light and thus can exhibit a good efficiency even with an indoor light source, no additional ultraviolet ray supplier may be required.

The particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material may include a weight ratio of the porous metal oxide to the sum of the visible light activating metal and the visible light activating metal oxide in a weight ratio of approximately 99.9:0.1 to 99:1.

The thickness of the barrier layer may range from approximately 20 nm to 500 nm. The barrier layer prevents contact between the substrate and the photocatalyst layer. When the barrier layer has a thickness within the above range, it can prevent decomposition of the substrate layer by the photocatalyst. If the thickness of the barrier layer is less than approximately 20 nm, the amorphous TiO₂ film may not be formed sufficiently such that the substrate may not be sufficiently separated from the substrate. If the thickness of the barrier layer exceeds approximately 500 nm, it is not cost-efficient.

The thickness of the photocatalytic layer may range from approximately 50 nm to 500 nm. The photocatalyst layer contains the amorphous TiO₂ film and the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst, and the amorphous TiO₂ film is formed of the TiO₂ amorphous sol as a binder material. Accordingly, the adhesion to the barrier layer can be increased without lowering the photocatalytic efficiency of the particles, such that a stable photocatalytic functional film can be provided.

It is to be noted that the photocatalytic efficiency can be easily achieved when the thickness of the photocatalyst layer is within the above range. If the thickness of the photocatalyst layer is less than approximately 50 nm, the photocatalyst layer may not be formed properly, such that sufficient photocatalytic effect can not be achieved. If the thickness of the photocatalyst layer exceeds approximately 500 nm, some portions may not be involved in the photocatalytic reaction, and thus it is disadvantageous in terms of cost and efficiency.

Producing Method of Photocatalyst Functional Film

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for producing a photocatalytic functional film includes: adding an alcohol solvent and an acid to a titanium precursor to obtain a TiO₂ amorphous sol by dehydration and de-alcoholization reaction; applying and drying the TiO₂ amorphous sol on a substrate to form a barrier layer; and applying and drying a composition formed by mixing particles of visible light responsive photocatalyst material with the TiO₂ amorphous sol on the barrier layer, to form a photocatalyst layer.

The method for producing a photocatalytic functional film may include adding an alcohol solvent and an acid to a titanium precursor to obtain a TiO₂ amorphous sol by dehydration and de-alcoholization reaction.

The TiO₂ amorphous sol may be obtained by using a sol gel method. Specifically, an alcohol solution is added to a titanium precursor, and a TiO₂ amorphous sol can be obtained by dehydration and de-alcoholization by a hydrolysis reaction using an acid as a catalyst. Although no water is used in the sol-gel method, water may be added in the form of a solution mixed with an acid to be hydrolyzed. On the other hand, a hydrolysis reaction may occur, in which the alcohol group of the alkoxide precursor is substituted with the OH group by the acid.

As the titanium precursor, any known compound may be used that can be used for a sol-gel method such as titanium alkoxide. Specifically, titanium tetraisopropoxide, titanium tetraethoxide, titanium tetrabutoxide and the like may be used.

The alcohol solvent may be at least one selected from the group consisting of isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, methanol, butanol, and combinations thereof.

The acid is used as a catalyst for dehydration and de-alcoholization reaction for the titanium precursor and the alcohol. Strong acids such as nitric acid and hydrochloric acid can be used as the acid.

The obtained TiO₂ amorphous sol is a solution in which amorphous TiO₂ particles are dispersed in a colloidal state.

The obtained TiO₂ amorphous sol may be applied and dried on the substrate to form the barrier layer.

Further, a composition formed by mixing the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material with the TiO₂ amorphous sol may be applied and dried on the barrier layer to form the photocatalyst layer.

In addition, the composition for forming the photocatalyst layer may be prepared by mixing the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material prepared separately with the obtained TiO₂ amorphous sol.

For example, the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material may be prepared by preparing porous metal oxide particles, immersing it in a precursor solution of a visible light activating metal so that the visible light activating metal is infiltrated into the porous metal oxide particles in an ion state, and then reducing the ions of the visible light activating metal to a visible light activating metal to allow the ions to be supported within the porous metal oxide particles.

The particles of the visible light activating photocatalyst material have already been described above.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the particles of the visible light activating photocatalyst material may be porous particles of WO₃ carrying Pt metal.

The composition may contain approximately 20 parts by weight of the TiO₂ amorphous sol relative to 100 parts by weight of the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material. By using a TiO₂ amorphous sol within the above range, proper surface bonding for a large surface area can be obtained as the TiO₂ particles of the TiO₂ amorphous sol are small. On the other hand, if the content of the TiO₂ amorphous sol is too high, the surface of the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material may be covered so that the reactivity may be lowered.

By using the above-described method for producing a photocatalytic functional film, the photocatalytic functional film capable of maintaining a high-efficiency photocatalytic performance and solving the problem of decomposition of the substrate can be produced.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. It is to be understood, however, that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described below are only for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the present disclosure.

EXAMPLE AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES Example 1

A 10 wt % solution of titanium tetraisopropoxide is prepared by using isopropyl alcohol as a solvent. After stirring it for 30 minutes, a small amount of concentrated nitric acid was added and hydrolyzed. Subsequently, it was dehydrated and de-alcoholized by stirring for 30 minutes to form an amorphous TiO₂ sol.

The amorphous TiO₂ sol was applied on a PET film at the thickness of 100 nm and dried at room temperature to form a barrier layer.

Pt-supported WO₃ photocatalyst material particles were separately prepared.

50 parts by weight of the amorphous TiO₂ sol and 100 parts by weight of the Pt-supported WO₃ photocatalyst material were mixed to prepare a composition. The composition was applied on the barrier layer at the thickness of 100 nm by using a bar coater and dried at room temperature to form a photocatalyst layer, thereby producing a photocatalytic functional film.

Comparative Example 1

A photocatalytic functional film was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a barrier layer was formed on a substrate.

Comparative Example 2

A 10 wt % aqueous solution of titanium tetraisopropoxide was prepared using distilled water as a solvent, and then it was stirred to produce a uniform precipitate. Then, a sufficient amount of nitric acid was added as an acid catalyst to obtain a transparent sol by condensation polymerization. It was stirred at 80° C. for more than 8 hours to prepare an opaque crystalline TiO₂ sol.

The crystalline TiO₂ sol was applied on a PET film at the thickness of 100 nm and dried at room temperature to form a barrier layer.

Pt-supported WO₃ photocatalyst material particles were separately prepared.

50 parts by weight of the crystalline TiO₂ sol and 100 parts by weight of the Pt-supported WO₃ photocatalyst material were mixed to prepare a visible light responsive photocatalyst coating composition.

The visible light responsive photocatalyst coating composition was coated on the barrier layer at the thickness of 100 nm using a bar coater and dried at room temperature to form a visible light responsive photocatalyst layer.

Experimental Example

The performance of removing formaldehyde of photocatalytic layers of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 was evaluated. The photocatalyst layers produced in Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were placed in a 20 L small chamber (manufactured by ADTEC Co.), and then clean air having a formaldehyde concentration of 0.08 ppm was continuously flown at the flow rate of 167 cc/min., such that ventilation was carried out 0.5 times/hr. A 10 W white fluorescent lamp was used as the light source, and the illuminance was set to be 1,000 lux. The formaldehyde removal rates were calculated by measuring the concentration before entering the chamber and the concentration after passing through the chamber, which is shown in Table 1 below. A 10 L of concentrated formaldehyde was prepared by using a DNPH (2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine) cartridge and analyzed by a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC from Agilent Technologies Inc.).

In addition, it was determined whether or not the PET films included in Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were damaged with naked eyes, results of which are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Formaldehyde Removal Damage to Photocatalytic Layer Binder Barrier Layer Rate PET Film Example 1 Amorphous TiO2 sol Included 80% No damage Comparative Example 1 Amorphous TiO2 sol Not included 0% Damage Comparative Example 2 Crystalline TiO2 sol Included 50% No damage

It can be seen from Table 1 that the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material exhibit a luminous efficiency similar to that of the particle state even after forming the photocatalyst layer in Example 1. In contrast, in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the luminous efficiencies are significantly lowered after the formation of the photocatalyst layer.

Specifically, in Comparative Example 1, it can be that the formaldehyde in the chamber could not be removed due to side reaction caused by the contact with the substrate layer.

On the other hand, it can be seen that the PET films according to Example 1 and Comparative Examples 2 each including an additional barrier layer between the substrate and the photocatalyst layer by the amorphous TiO₂ sol were not damaged. In contrast, the PET film according to Comparative Example 1 including no barrier layer was damaged.

Therefore, it can be seen that Example 1 includes a photocatalyst layer formed by using the amorphous TiO₂ sol as the binder material, such that good luminous efficiency can be achieved while side reactions with the substrate can be suppressed by virtue of the barrier layer.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   100: Photocatalytic Functional Film     -   10: Substrate, 20: Barrier Layer, 30: Photocatalyst Layer 

What is claimed is:
 1. A photocatalytic functional film having a structure of a substrate, a barrier layer and a photocatalytic layer stacked one on another, wherein the barrier layer is an amorphous TiO₂ film, and wherein the photocatalyst layer comprises an amorphous TiO₂ film, and particles of visible light responsive photocatalytic material formed on the surface of the amorphous TiO₂ film.
 2. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous TiO₂ films have a porosity of 5% to 50%.
 3. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous TiO₂ films have a specific surface area of 5 m²/g to 500 m²/g.
 4. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous TiO₂ films are formed by a TiO₂ amorphous sol.
 5. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material are porous metal oxide particles carrying a visible light activating metal containing pores.
 6. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 5, wherein the porous metal oxide particles comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc oxide, niobium oxide, and a combination thereof.
 7. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 5, wherein the porous metal oxide particles carry the visible light activating metal as a visible light-activating metal or an oxide thereof, wherein the visible light activating metal comprises at least one of tungsten, chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, copper, iron, cobalt, manganese, nickel, platinum, gold, cerium, cadmium, zinc, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, or a combination thereof.
 8. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of the porous metal oxide and a sum of the visible light activating metal and the visible light activating metal oxide in the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material ranges from 99.9:0.1 to 99:1.
 9. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the barrier layer ranges from 20 nm to 500 nm.
 10. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the photocatalytic layer ranges from 50 nm to 500 nm.
 11. The photocatalytic functional film according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is an indoor interior material.
 12. A method for producing a photocatalytic functional film, comprising: adding an alcohol solvent and an acid to a titanium precursor to obtain a TiO₂ amorphous sol by dehydration and de-alcoholization reaction; applying and drying the TiO₂ amorphous sol on a substrate to form a barrier layer; and applying and drying a composition formed by mixing particles of visible light responsive photocatalyst material with the TiO₂ amorphous sol on the barrier layer, to form a photocatalyst layer.
 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the alcohol solvent is at least one selected from a group consisting of isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, methanol, butanol, and a combination thereof.
 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the composition comprises 20 parts by weight of the TiO₂ amorphous sol with respect to 100 parts by weight of the particles of the visible light responsive photocatalyst material. 